RouteBarranquilla

Barranquilla: Colombia's Sporting Heart on the Caribbean

Barranquilla is Colombia's most passionate sporting city — the home of Colombia's national football team, the birthplace of Sofía Vergara and Shakira, and a city where the carnival's competitive spirit translates into sport

Google Maps Apple Maps

1
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez
Estadio Metropolitano — Colombia's largest soccer stadium, capacity 55,000 — is home to the Colombian national team; playing at altitude is an advantage for many teams, but Colombia's choice of Barranquilla at sea level creates an extraordinary home atmosphere
2
Colombia national team home advantage
The Colombian national team's choice of Barranquilla for home qualifiers is deliberate — the Caribbean heat, passionate crowd and energy of the city create a formidable home advantage; The Metropolitano is considered one of South America's scariest stadiums
3
Junior FC
Junior FC — Barranquilla's professional soccer club and one of Colombia's most successful — plays at the Metropolitano; the club's passionate fan base (Barra de los Tiburones) and the club's carnival cultural identity make Junior home matches exceptional experiences
4
Shakira: Barranquilla's Global Ambassador
Shakira – born in Barranquilla in 1977 – is Colombia's most globally successful artist; her blend of Colombian Caribbean rhythms with global pop, her UNICEF advocacy and her Barranquilla Pies Descalzos Foundation make her the city's most impactful cultural export
5
Sofía Vergara's Barranquilla Roots
Sofía Vergara – born in Barranquilla in 1972, the most commercially successful Latina actress in US television history – grew up in the city's costeño culture; her personality and her portrayal of the Colombian Caribbean woman in Modern Family drawn from her Barranquilla origins
6
Cycling: Colombia's Tour de Force
Colombia's extraordinary cycling tradition – the climbers who have won multiple Tour de France stages – has produced riders in the Barranquilla area; the tradition of cycling as a working-class sport from the Caribbean coast contributes to the city's sporting cultural depth